1) Drizzly/overcast/gray—this is mostly a winter phenomenon. Seattle does not get rain the way you non-Seattleites think it does. We rarely get downpours. We almost never get thunderstorms. What we get is drizzle and mist and wind.

2) Bright and beautiful—this is mostly a summer occurrence. We don't get a ton of these days, but when we do they're glorious. It doesn't rain in the summer. They used to say that of all major league baseball cities, only cities in California and Arizona got less rain in the summer than Seattle.

3) Somewhere in the middle.

The months of gray can be a little much. I don't mind the overcast. It's easy on the eyes. But it would be nice to see the mountains occasionally sometime between November and March.

We have a very large percentage of kids in private schools. I don't have the number handy, but it's supposed to be way higher than in other cities of comparable size. The upshot is that many, many families have little confidence in the public schools.

It's true that we have had a lot of upheaval in recent years. A rigid/incompetent/self-serving (choose your own adjective) superintendent was recently let go, for one thing. And the school board had been acting as a rubber stamp to her wishes. But for all I know, people can say the same about school boards all over the country.

One thing hampering efforts to improve schools (I think) is Seattle's fixation on process. We are (in)famous for endless discussion and a debilitating reluctance to just get on with it already.

So here is the thing. Nate's work is most likely being bought by another company. They will most likely offer him a position, but it could require us to move back to SF, we also don't know if he will make as much money and trying to get a two bedroom apartment in the city is more than we can afford and we would not have a garage, etc. so, another option is for him to take a job in Portland or Seattle. Seattle is probably the best option for the monies. Nw we are trying to do some research on both areas so we can be on top of it in case we need to move.

Here are things I know about Seattle:Coffee90's grunge musicGrey's AnatomyThe space needleLots of hillsSeems like there are really smart people that live thereLots of people wear cargo pants

Here are things I know about Seattle:Coffee90's grunge musicGrey's AnatomyThe space needleLots of hillsSeems like there are really smart people that live thereLots of people wear cargo pants

I was gonna say yes to everything but the cargo pants, then I realized that's probably pretty true. Seattleites are an active people and REINorthFaceColumbiaSportswear type stuff is pretty popular. It's also a really casual city, dress wise; we're not really known for our fashion sense.

We always seem to come out near the top of magazine lists like "most literate," "most educated," "smartest cities," etc... I guess that's a pretty OK thing.

Seattleites are also famous for being chilly and aloof. I don't know if this is well-founded.

I am chilly and aloof, but I make up a staggeringly small percentage of all Seattle residents.

I've never found Seattleites to be particularly chilly or aloof. I think this stereotype may come from people who aren't used to the pace of west-coast cities. I mean, strangers don't generally go out of their way to talk to you (they're busy with other things), but every time I've initiated a conversation with someone in a grocery line or somesuch they've always been polite and friendly.

Much better than in Spokane, where if you strike up a conversation in a grocery line people ignore you and refuse to make eye contact.

You should! Except for the craptastic winters, the painfully conservative politics, and the unfortunate lack of culture, education, and vegan options, it's a great place to live!

(Okay, I'm probably being too harsh on Spokane... it is getting better, just more slowly than some places!)

I lived in Spokane from '95 to '02 and I used to say the same thing: It's getting better! Slowly, but it's getting better! I went back last summer... I think it might have gotten worse. I mean, Mizuna used to be a vegetarian restaurant...

I lived in Spokane from '95 to '02 and I used to say the same thing: It's getting better! Slowly, but it's getting better! I went back last summer... I think it might have gotten worse. I mean, Mizuna used to be a vegetarian restaurant...

It sometimes really does seem like Spokane's progress is in the wrong direction.

At least Mizuna still has a separate grill for their vegetarian menu... they're the only place in town that does! Pacific Avenue Pizza in Browne's Addition does vegan pizzas now (with daiya and fake pepperoni, even), and there is one other restaurant I know of (Picabu Bistro on the South Hill) that actually marks their vegan items on the menu. And we just got a Trader Joes this last fall, so we're on our way up indeed.

I really can only stand living in Spokane because I live in Browne's Addition, which is the Seattle-est part of the city.

I lived in Spokane from '95 to '02 and I used to say the same thing: It's getting better! Slowly, but it's getting better! I went back last summer... I think it might have gotten worse. I mean, Mizuna used to be a vegetarian restaurant...

It sometimes really does seem like Spokane's progress is in the wrong direction.

At least Mizuna still has a separate grill for their vegetarian menu... they're the only place in town that does! Pacific Avenue Pizza in Browne's Addition does vegan pizzas now (with daiya and fake pepperoni, even), and there is one other restaurant I know of (Picabu Bistro on the South Hill) that actually marks their vegan items on the menu. And we just got a Trader Joes this last fall, so we're on our way up indeed.

I really can only stand living in Spokane because I live in Browne's Addition, which is the Seattle-est part of the city.

Yeah, Browne's Addition is pretty cute. My ex- actually talked to TJ's corporate headquarters a number of times while we were there trying to sell them on the idea of expanding into Spokane and they said they'd examined the market and determined that it wasn't for them. Good to see that, whatever is going on in Spokane, that's changed at least!

I live in Spokane now and am now missing Seattle. I moved from there 3yrs ago. The last time I visited Seattle I ate such good food at vegan-friendly places that it spoiled me, I had little appetite to go out to eat for a while when I got back to Spokane. Nothing compared to the badass food I had in Seattle (The Highline, Georgetown Liquor Company, Araya)

Things I love about Seattle: the fresh air, being able to smell the ocean (ok, the Sound.. whatever) from downtown. The abundance of intelligent, creative folks throughout the city. All the opportunity that abounds; everyone I've known who's stayed in Seattle seems to be in a better place in life today. Not stagnant, not worse off, better. I miss the culture there in general. The cafe culture for sure. There is no cafe culture in Spokane. We all hang out at bars and drink too much here. In Seattle I was hanging out with friends at all sorts of different places, not just cafes. I miss all the different art going on. I miss being able to see Mt Rainier and the Olympic mountains on a clear day

I don't miss how in Seattle, I got a lot of crepe for being vegan. And knew very few vegans or vegetarians, even after years of living there. Or the flakiness that was rampant with my friends in Seattle. Or how so many people there are so goddamn busy with so many things (unlike Portland).

I'd like to move back, there's way too little going on where I live now. VERY few jobs. The other day Matthew Modine was in town to for our film festival which was screening a bad 80's movie he was in that was shot in Spokane, somehow this was the talk of the town for days. People are very bored here. Can't get bored in Seattle, ever. There are things I like about Spokane but that's a different subject

So, we don't have to move. Nate was offered a job with new company, it is for more money. They are located in redwood city, which is about 1.5-2 hours from where we live depending on traffic, so that sucks. He only have to go to that office once or twice a week. It is looking more and more like he will only have to go down there once or twice a month in the future, which puts moving back on the table, if we want to. His BFF just moved to Seattle so he is really wanting to move there more and more. We have never been there. I am very hesitant because I have awesome friends here and generally love it, but I also love change.

Can you tell me great areas to visit or live? Right now we live on a mountain, but it is a 15 minute walk to two towns and I love that. I love to walk everywhere, but I like living some place with neighbors but is away from the hustle and bustle. Do you guys have air conditioning? Does it get hot in the summer? Hot to me is anything over 80. I think we are coming to visit soon, I will let you all know!